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The boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was rushed to hospital and underwent emergency surgery.

Both fingers were amputated about halfway down after the accident on March 31, 2007.

Injured: As he fell on the travelator (pictured) his hand became trapped between the skirting and pallets treads, which acted as a guillotine

In a statement read out to the court,
the boy’s father said: 'He held my two fingers and stood on the left
side of me. He had his left hand on the rail and we stood on the
travelator together.

'I felt a tug on my fingers and he had twisted and fallen and put his left hand on the travelator.

'I
bent down to pick him up but stumbled forward. I picked him up straight
away but noticed his index and middle fingers were missing.

'I ran down to the bottom with him and called for help.'

Judge Joanna Cutts fined the company £75,000 pounds and ordered it to pay £90,000 pounds in prosecution costs.

It
had accepted liability at previous civil proceedings brought on behalf
of the boy, now aged seven years, and is paying compensation.

A final figure has yet to be agreed, depending on the boy’s future prognosis.

Prosecutor Barry Berlin told Judge Cutts: 'The boy was nearly three when he visited the store with his family.

'He was holding onto his father’s fingers when he fell and trapped his fingers in the travelator.

Medical treatment: The boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was rushed to hospital and underwent emergency surgery

'It was at the point of transition when the travelator goes from horizontal to downward angle when he fell and caught his fingers underneath the skirting.

'He sliced off two fingers on his left hand - the index and middle fingers.

'At the point of transition the gap was above four millimetres.The child was able to put his fingers in the gap.

'Four millimetres is the limit for this kind of travelator. The onus is on the employer, IKEA, to ensure it does not exceed four millimetres.'

The flat pack specialists admitted a
charge of breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 after earlier
pleading not guilty.

IKEA
had disputed full liability for the accident after maintenance
specialists Lift Serve conducted tests on the travelators two days
before the incident, stating the gap between the skirting and tread had
been safe.

Carol Reddish, Chief Executive Officer for IKEA in the UK, attended Aylesbury Crown Court on Friday for the sentencing hearing.

Mr Berlin said the store had failed to compile a risk assessment of the travelators and checked that maintenance had been carried out properly by the external firm.

Mr Berlin said: 'We accept that this was a localised problem in this store.

'Nonetheless this is IKEA and there was not a risk assessment of the travelators and that is a mandatory requirement.

'The skirting itself was very sharp, hence the severing. That could and should have been engineered out to reduce the risk to people.

'This accident resulted in serious and permanent disability to the boy, a vulnerable victim.'

Defending counsel Simon Antrobus said the company regretted the incident but added that the civil proceedings had found Lift Serve to be 75 per cent liable and IKEA 25 per cent.

'IKEA has put in place everything it can to ensure the highest degree of safety for customers and staff.

'This particular incident was extremely regrettable, made worse by the fact that it involves a very young child.'

In sentencing the multi-national business, Judge Cutts said: 'There is no doubt in my mind that IKEA, in this store and on this particular travelator, exposed children to severe and permanent disability.

'IKEA had an indelible duty to ensure the safety of all customers in the store and failed in its duty here.'